PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 6, 2011
CONTACT:
Linda Wharton Boyd 202.213- 4578(cell);
lwhartonboyd@dccouncil.us;
Doxie A. McCoy,
202.664.9862 (cell); doxie.mccoy@dc.gov
MAYOR
VINCENT C. GRAY APPOINTS FOUR NEW DIRECTORS TO HIS ADMINSTRATION
“Health, Health Care Finance, Small and Local Business Development and
Communications Directors Named”
Today Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced additional appointments to his
administration. Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter was named Director of the
Department of Health; Wayne Turnage, Director of the Department of Health
Care Finance; Antonio Hunter, Director of the Department of Small and
Local Business Development; and Dr. Linda Wharton Boyd, Director of
Communications.
“As I have emphasized in announcing other talented professionals to
my administration, these individuals are team players with extensive
backgrounds and expertise in their fields, and are committed to bringing
new and innovative ideas for service delivery and policy implementation
for the benefit of residents in the District of Columbia,” said Mayor
Gray.
Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter is currently a Professor in the College of
Medicine and Health Management Programs at Howard University. Dr.
Akhter served as Commissioner of Public Health for the District of
Columbia from 1980 to 1984. He is a renowned national and international
speaker in Public Health.
Prior to his appointment at Howard University, Dr. Akhter was the
Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, the oldest
and largest organization of public health professionals in the world. He
served in that position for six years.
He also held senior positions at the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services and at the Missouri State Department of Health in the
90’s.
Wayne M. Turnage will head the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF),
which is the District’s state Medicaid agency. Most recently,
Wayne Turnage served as the Chief of Staff to the President of Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond and as Chief of Staff to former
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. He advised both Governor Kaine and
Governor Mark Warner on health care, Medicaid, and insurance reform
issues.
Mr. Turnage has a Master of Public Administration from Ohio State
University and a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from North Carolina
A&T University.
Antonio D. Hunter was appointed the Director of Department of Small and
Local Business Development (DSLBD), which is charged with fostering
economic growth and the development of District-based businesses.
Hunter is currently the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Manager for the
Dulles Corridor Metrorail project for the Bechtel Corporation. He is
responsible for implementing strategies to increase the participation of
disadvantaged businesses in the $1.7 billion phase one portion of the
Dulles toll road extension. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Hunter was the
Division Director of the DC’s DSLBD.
A resident of Ward 4, Mr. Hunter holds a Master of Business
Administration from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in economics
from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Linda Wharton Boyd was named Director of the Office of
Communications. She is currently the Chief of Staff and Chief
Communications Officer for DC Councilmember At-Large Michael A. Brown.
Previously, she served as Chief Communications Officer for DC Public
Schools, Director of Communications in the Executive Office of the Mayor,
and Interim Director of the DC Office of Cable Television. Dr. Wharton
Boyd has served as Assistant Professor of Communications at Marymount,
Howard, and Bowie State Universities and also as a media and crises
communications consultant for many national leaders and other luminaries.
Dr. Wharton Boyd, a Ward 4 resident, played a key role in the
communications strategy and press outreach of the Gray campaign and, most
recently, managed the media operations for Gray’s inaugural events.
Dr. Wharton Boyd holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in
Communications from the University of Pittsburgh, where she currently
serves as National President of the 22,000 member African American Alumni
Council. She also holds a professional degree in Municipal Management from
the College of Professional Studies at George Washington University. |
